


And I'm okay with it.

by eyegems



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-19 00:02:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29866110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyegems/pseuds/eyegems
Summary: Moominmamma and Snufkin take a walk.
Relationships: Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Snufmin - Relationship
Comments: 1
Kudos: 36





	And I'm okay with it.

All Snufkin could do was look down at his boots as they rhythmically hit the ground as he walked towards Moominhouse. He’d walked the path to it so many times that he could do it with his eyes closed and walking backwards. The map in his head was as deeply engrained as the harmonica songs he would play nearly every day. He only dared to look up as he felt the cool, comforting shadow of Moominhouse wash over him. He listened to his footsteps walk up the old, creaky wooden stairs, hardly aware of the chirping birds, singing cicadas, and the quiet bubbling of the lazy river nearby.  
“Hello, Snufkin.” Said Moominmamma, looking up from a book she was reading peacefully nearby. “Are you looking for Moomintroll?”  
Her voice made Snufkin jump a little bit. How had he not seen her? That’s not important right now, he thought. “No, I was actually looking for you,” he murmured.  
“Oh? What seems to be the matter?”  
Snufkin barely heard her book closing and her chair creaking as she turned to face him. “I was wondering if you wanted to go mushroom picking with me. I’ve found a new patch but I’m not sure what kind they are, and thought I might ask you to come.” He paused. “It’s very unusual for mushrooms to bloom this early.” What a complete lie that was. There was no mushroom patch. All he wanted was her time alone for a little while. He didn’t like to lie, but it was something he often had to do.  
“Of course. Shall we go now?” She looked at Snufkin with a slow blink as he tilted his hat upwards to get a better look.  
“That would be nice, yes,” he said.  
“I’ll get the baskets, then. You stay put and take a seat.” She got up from her chair and entered the house. Snufkin could only imagine what she might be thinking. Was she suspicious? Did she think something was wrong? He sat in the chair, still warm from Moominmamma’s presence. He twiddled his thumbs, waiting for what seemed like eons with his heartbeat pounding in his ears and his hands shaking like the last autumn leaves until Moominmamma came out with two woven baskets.  
Snufkin stood up, pushing the chair away gently, somehow startled that Moominmamma had returned so quickly. He took a breath, forcing his trembling hands to lie still. “Would you like me to carry them?”  
“Oh, no, dear. I’ve got it. I’ll take your basket too, if you’d like,” offered Moominmamma.  
His heart was still pounding in his ears and his stomach fluttered with invisible butterflies, though he could just make out Moominmamma’s words. “That’s okay, but thank you for the offer, Moominmamma.” Pushing his chair back in, he brushed his soft, almost delicate hand across the wooden table until it touched the basket Moominmamma had brought for him. He quickly recognized it as Snorkmaiden’s. Hopefully Snorkmaiden wouldn’t mind that he took it. “Shall we go, then?” He said, working his hand up the flaxen handle.  
“Naturally. You should take the lead from here, but it’s probably best if you wait for me to go down the stairs first. I’m a little big and it may be hard to maneuver around me.” She gave a soft laugh, not waiting for Snufkin’s answer as she lightly stepped down the stairs, barely making the wood creak. She was large, so it was a little surprising that she could walk down those creaky stairs, hardly making a sound. Perhaps she had lived here long enough to learn how to be so gentle with them.  
Snufkin nodded, walking down the stairs and stopping next to her. “Let’s walk together, I’m not sure how much fun it would be to just have you following me silently.” He smiled at her, and she gave a gentle smile in return. The two stepped on the dusty path leading across the Moomins’ small bridge. Frankly, Snufkin wasn’t sure where he was going now. That didn’t matter too much, though. As long as it was away from Moominhouse.

They walked quietly for a while, only starting to converse until well after they entered the cool, shady woods. Golden sunlight speckled the forest floor and cast its gentle warmth upon the two as they walked. Little mice and voles rustled in the undergrowth. Without predators, they had become bold.  
“So how have you been recently, Snufkin?” Asked Moominmamma, striking up a conversation, perhaps noticing the awkward silence.  
“I’ve been alright,” he stopped for a bit, thinking of his next words. “The minnows have been plentiful recently. It seems they’re enjoying the warm weather.”  
“I’ve always wondered,” began Moominmamma. “What qualifies as a minnow in the first place? I’ve seen people call very different looking fish minnows, after all. Moominpappa says he knows all the fish in the world, though I doubt that.”  
“Oh, it’s just a small fish of some kind. It isn’t too specific, really. For me, I consider fish half a meter long as the upper limit of a minnow, but other people have different opinions. They’re very interesting, you know. On my travels I have seen many kinds of minnows. It seems like with every travel, I find a new one.” He laughed.  
“How interesting! Have you seen any minnows in the sea?”  
“No, they don’t live in the sea. The sea has its own population of fish, each stranger than the last. They range in size from the littlest goby to the biggest of basking sharks.” In his head, Snufkin imagined small tropical fish darting around his feet in the shallows to great big sunfish that basked in the afternoon heat. He even recalled silver, shining, ribbon-like giant oarfish. He sighed, realizing how much he loved the sea.  
“Oh, have you seen a basking shark before? I couldn’t begin to imagine what they must look like. I’m assuming they have plenty of teeth?”  
“Yes, but they are very small and not for biting. They filter feed on small animals like plankton.” Snufkin began to feel irritated. It wasn’t that he disliked talking about fish, but he knew he was just putting off what needed to happen. No matter how nervous he was, procrastination was never his style.  
Quickly, he changed the topic, taking deep breaths of the cool forest air to calm his nerves. “We’re here,” he said arbitrarily, stopping and looking into a sunny clearing with many colorful flowers. Bees buzzed by lazily and the long grass trembled slightly in the wind. Snufkin was trembling, too. He just hoped Moominmamma couldn’t see it or hear his heart pounding in his chest. With every passing second, his heart beat faster and faster and the butterflies in his stomach became like young wasps clawing their way out of a fig.  
“I’m not seeing any mushrooms. Just flowers. Are you sure this is the right spot?”  
He paused for what seemed like a long time, searching for his words. “No, it’s not. I lied. I just needed to talk to you alone for a while. To tell you something.” He drew in a long breath, forcing himself to stop shaking. He slowly looked up at Moominmamma.  
Moominmamma was quiet for a while. “It’s about Moomintroll.”  
Snufkin’s jaw dropped, as did his stomach. How did she know?  
“Come, sit with me. You’re so pale and you look like you’re about to fall over.” She gestured to a nearby fallen log and Snufkin approached it to sit with her. He could feel her warmth again, but this time it was fresh and not residual. He kept his gaze on a long blade of grass, focusing on it to block out his anxiety.  
“...You knew what I was going to tell you.”  
“Yes,” she said.  
He shifted his gaze from the grass to his feet. He knew Moominmamma was an empath, but he never thought she could read him like a book. He had always kept his emotions hidden.  
“I’ve seen the way you look at him and the way you talk about him.” She slid her hand to touch Snufkin’s and squeezed it gently. “And I think he likes you, too.”  
He sniffled a bit, feeling his eyes begin to sting. He pulled his tattered green hat over his face in a futile attempt to hide it. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in to hug Moominmamma, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her soft white fur. Her sweet scent reminded him of Moomintroll’s. After a long moment, Moominmamma wrapped her own arms around Snufkin, pulling him close. “And I’m okay with it.”


End file.
